L'Astragale (1969)
Directed by Guy Casaril

Film Review

Adapted from a best-selling novel of the same title by Albertine Sarrazin, L'Astragale is one of Guy Casaril's more tastefully sensual films, one that helped revive the flagging career of Horst Buchholz and raise the profile of Marlène Jobert, soon to become one of the most sought-after actresses in France.  Whilst deriving the maximum capital from his sexy lead actors, Casaril crafts a haunting visual poem in yearning for individual freedom that is superior to anything he would subsequently make, including his Edith Piaf biopic Piaf (1974) and erotic movie Émilienne (1975).  L'Astragale is in essence the classic survival film, a compelling portrait of one unfortunate woman's attempt to survive all that life throws at her, including a grim spell in prison and the traumas of life in the gangster milieu, where she is routinely abused by the male sex.  The captivating lead performances make up for a threadbare script and Casaril's uneven direction, and Jobert has never looked more desirable, nor more enigmatic, than she does here.

Film Synopsis

Anne is a juvenile prisoner whose only friend is Rolande.  The idea of escape takes hold of her and one day, having been admitted to the infirmary, she escapes by climbing over the high prison wall.  In the attempt, she breaks a bone in her ankle and only just manages to drag herself to the roadside, hoping to hitch a lift to safety.  Finally, a car pulls up and its driver, an ex-convict named Julien, offers her a lift.  In no time, Anne and Julien realise that they are in love.  Julien takes his new friend to his mother's house, to recover from her injury.  Later, Anne falls in with a gang of hoods at a disused open-air dance hall.  Having finally reached Paris, she has to share an apartment with a prostitute and her young daughter.  One day, Julien is arrested for petty larceny and, as she awaits his return, Anne realises that this is not the freedom she had imagined for herself...